05x02 - A Case of Immunity

[bunniefuu]

This envelope
contains certain material,

which, in the wrong hands, could
lead to the overthrow of my king.

Wow!

Mr. Morgan is with the
Protocol Department, Columbo.

The feeling expressed to me is that you've
been indulging in a personal vendetta.

Mr. Salah,
I have made a discovery

that you are going to find
emotionally disturbing.

I want you
to be prepared for it.

Halt!

Lieutenant Columbo is in
violation of Suarian territory.

Alafa.

Youseff, please come to the
executive office right away.

Is there
something wrong, sir?

I'll let you
be the judge of that.

What happened, Hassan?

As Security Chief, I was hoping
that you could tell me, Alafa.

Whoever did this

must be working
in the Legation.

You are most astute, Alafa.

He's dead.

All right.
Let's see how you look.

Come, come, come, come.

Perfect.

Everything must be done with
split-second precision. You understand?

Yes, sir. I will try.

Try, Rahman? Try?
A child tries.

A man accomplishes.
You must succeed.

I promise
I will not let you down.

I am sure you won't.

Now remember,

the expl*si*n must follow
immediately after the phone call.

You understand?

At precisely : .

: .

Be certain that you
are seen when you escape.

It is imperative that the
revolutionary Suari students

be made to look responsible
for the arson and theft.

Hakim's r*fle?

It is jammed.
It will not fire.

Youseff Alafa
was a traitor.

A double agent working for the
revolutionary underground,

masquerading as the security
chief of this Legation.

These papers will prove
as much. And you...

You, my friend, your name will
be known far and wide as a hero

for unmasking and disposing
of this vermin.

Los Angeles
Police Department.

I know. I'm late.

Responsibility
for the King's safety.

I'm sorry.

Continue, sir.
I didn't mean to interrupt.

Forgive me, Commissioner.
I didn't mean to be late. My apologies.

I was saying, that along with
your official responsibility

for the King's safety
on this royal visit,

I, too, as First Secretary
have a responsibility,

a personal responsibility
for his safety.

And that is why I have requested
this meeting, Commissioner.

Yes. Well, I appreciate
your concern, Mr. Salah.

That's the reason I have asked
the various Division Captains

to be present.

Now.

Captain Jamison will be in
charge of riot control.

What are you
doing here?

I was told
to report here, sir.

Captain Putman

will be handling the
motorcades from the airport

to the Legation.

Wait a minute!

Captain Colimo
was supposed to be here!

And Captain August...

Got the names mixed up!

Captain August

will be in charge of intelligence
relative to the King's visit.

My compliments, Commissioner.

Your security arrangements have
obviously been well prepared

and well thought out.
Yes, well, we hope so.

If you will allow me,
this is an itinerary

of His Majesty's visit.

And I'm sure you will find it most helpful.
There you are.

Sir.
Thank you very much.

You're quite welcome.

Sir.
Thank you.

You're quite welcome.

Oh, I'm sorry.

It's all right.
It's quite all right.

Yeah?

Mr. Salah?
Thank you. Yes?

It's for you, sir.
Thank you.

Youseff Alafa.

There's a spot
on there, sir.

No, that's all right, thank you.
We'll take care of it. Thank you.

Yes, that's my
security chief. Youseff?

I am calling as ordered, sir.

It is precisely : .

The timer is set to : .

Oh, yes, yes, yes, I see.
No, I don't believe extra security is necessary...

I'll run along. You might as well stay.
You're here now.

The students are vocal
but hardly dangerous.

And you will be
pleased to know

that police arrangements
are more than adequate.

Yes.

Yes, we should both
be most grateful.

I will wait for your call.

Thank you, Youseff.
Goodbye.

Mr. Salah, there's one
point we haven't covered

and that's police protection
inside the Legation grounds.

Well, we are confident
of our own security

within the Legation,
Commissioner.

This is an area
that needrt concern you.

Indeed, as you know, in effect,
it is foreign territory.

Did you hear anything?
Hear what?

Nothing.
Nothing, I guess.

Long live the King!
Down with Salah, he's a traitor!

Halt!

Are you crazy?

Mr. Salah!

Wait!
Columbo?

Columbo, forget it, you have just
joined the Suarian Task Force, sir.

Listen to me, I had a call
from the Legation.

Robbery and m*rder.

Every week.

m*rder?

No one is allowed to pass.
I know.

That's what the other three guards
told me, but I'd like to look around.

Lieutenant Columbo,
Homicide.

Let him pass.

We seem to have a great many
police roaming about the Legation.

Yes, sir, they're from the arson
and robbery details, sir.

We kind of specialize.

I see.
And you specialize in m*rder?

Well, you know how it is, sir.
You go where they send you.

I recognize you.

I was afraid of that.

We met at
the Commissioner's meeting.

I wasrt supposed to be there.
They got the names mixed up.

Happens all the time, sir.

How amusing.
And how coincidental.

Do you mind if I look around?

No, go right ahead.
The others are upstairs.

Now, what about this Arabic
written on the wall here?

What does it mean?
Does it have any special significance?

What does it say?

Well, they're political slogans.
All anti-government.

Political slogans?

These people are fanatics?
Yes.

ME's on the way, Captain.
Should be here in about minutes.

Well, what about
the guard downstairs?

Says he didn't
see a thing.

Can you trust him?
Amman Gurrah?

Well,
he's a very dependable man.

Thought he saw
something about : .

Must have been the expl*si*n,
but he never left his desk.

So, nobody was seen either
going out or coming in, right?

No.

So that means he must have
gone out the window.

Looks like.

Yeah. Well, maybe he
did, maybe he didn't.

All right,
check downstairs.

Maybe somebody saw him
either coming in or going out.

They got two gates,
one front, one rear,

and another one by the
tennis court, padlocked.

He could have come over
the fence, but that's risky.

If he had gone
down the stairs,

the security guard
would have seen him.

Must have been
the window, then.

Now, is that reasonable?
That's quite a drop.

Well, if he could
get on the roof...

Oh, the roof, yeah.

Let's just figure
he went out the window.

Good.
Excuse me.

That stuff on the floor that was
burnt, where did that come from?

The safe.

That's what I thought.

They destroyed some very
valuable state documents.

They kept them in there.

Thank you.

All right. Let's check out in the corridor.
I just wanna make sure.

What time did you say that the
car crashed out of the gate?

: .

: . Right.

Excuse me?

He was the
Chief of Security?

Yes.

New man on the job?

No. He'd had years
of experience.

You wanna
move a little?

Sorry?

You're blocking my sh*t.

Just a second.
I wanna check something.

Nasty looking, huh?

What's that?

The back of his head where he got hit.
What'd he get hit by?

Someone said a tire iron.
The guy dropped it down in the driveway.

We know the timer was set for : .
That we know.

Now, the safe blows. The guy cleans
it out, starts his little bonfire

and the car crashes
out of the gate at : .

That's minutes.
Makes sense.

He could've gone
out the window.

Yeah. Now, about the safe.
Excuse me.

What about the safe?

Well, that was $ ,
that was stolen.

What was that money
to be used for?

You'll have to check
with the First Secretary.

All right.

Excuse me, were you here
when the b*mb went off?

Evidently, yes.
I heard a noise around : .

But you didn't see anybody
suspicious come down the stairs?

No, sir.

Sorry. I was looking for
the rear door. Sorry.

Sorry. Rear door.

Is this the gate
the guy broke out of?

Police. LAPD.

Do you speak English?
Yes.

Were you on duty
all afternoon?

I can promise you, sir, the fanatic did not
enter the Legation grounds by this gate.

But he got away
through this gate?

Yes.

Did you get
a good look at him?

Only a brief glance
over my r*fle sight.

Oh, you tried to sh**t him?

Of course,
but the g*n wouldn't fire.

I aimed my r*fle.
Nothing happened.

Uh-huh.

That ever happen before?

No, never.

How often
are the r*fles checked?

Once a week.

I suppose you have a
special room for the g*ns?

Of course, sir.

And who would have keys
to that room?

Youseff Alafa.

And, of course,
the First Secretary.

Thank you.

May I help you, sir?

I'm not sure. I'm Lieutenant
Columbo, police department.

I'm looking for a key.

What sort of key, sir?

The key to the gunroom where you
keep the r*fles for the guards.

Youseff Alafa always
kept it locked, in there.

That's the key
to the gunroom.

What about the key
to this padlock?

Oh, Youseff... Mr.
Alafa kept it on his person.

Thank you very much.

Yes, sir.

Just a second.

Excuse me.

It's cold and full.

Never got a chance
to drink it.

I gave Youseff this mug.

You see
the inscription here.

What does it say?

I'd rather not translate,
Lieutenant. It's...

earthy humor.

Oh.

Each afternoon, Youseff
would join our coffee break

and tell us
unrepeatable stories.

It was his way and we
loved him very much.

I'm sure you did, madam.

Excuse me.

What time were those
coffee breaks?

: . Perhaps a few minutes
before or after.

Thank you very much.

This is a beautiful piece,
sir.

You know,
we have one just like this

back on the dining room
table in our house.

Almost the same design.

This is rd century.
It's won'th several thousand dollars.

No kidding.

Yeah, I think my wife got
ours at the Farmers Market.

Well, I guess
ours is just a copy.

This is beautiful, too.
The box.

This must be won'th a fortune.

Is there something
in particular

you wanted to talk
to me about, Lieutenant...

Columbo?
Columbo. Yes.

Yes.

It's a delicate matter,
sir.

Concerning what?

The crime,
the m*rder and the theft.

And what about it?

I'd like to start from the
beginning, if you don't mind.

I like to work
with questions,

and I write myself out
these questions.

Why did the security man
enter the office?

I assume he heard the expl*si*n
and ran in to see what happened.

If he heard the expl*si*n and
ran in to see what happened,

why didn't he
take out his g*n?

Where was the g*n?

In his holster, sir.
He never even undid the flap.

So what does that mean?

It means, when he entered the office
he couldn't have been alarmed.

Otherwise, he would have
taken out the g*n.

So I figure that he entered the
office before the expl*si*n.

I see.

That's very interesting.
He entered the office before the expl*si*n.

So where does that
lead you?

Back to the first
question, sir.

Why did the security man
enter the office?

For a number of reasons.
He could have been making his rounds,

he could have been
looking for something.

In which case, he would have
caught the criminal off guard.

True?
True.

The criminal would have been
caught by surprise, yes.

That's the problem, sir.
You see, it was the security man

that was surprised,
not the criminal.

You see, the security man got
hit on the back of the head

and there was no sign
of struggle.

The body was right out there
in the middle of the room.

How does an experienced
security man

surprise a criminal
in the middle of his crime

and allow himself to get hit
in the back of the head?

Do you have the answer?

That's what's delicate, sir.

Well, please. Go on.

This is very important to me.

A security man could only get hit
by someone who didn't alarm him.

Someone that he knew
and trusted.

Someone who could
catch him off guard.

Perhaps we could
talk out here.

I'm sorry, sir.

Magnificent grounds!
What a backyard!

Beautiful, sir!

I've never seen flowers
like this in my life!

We come from an arid country
and gardens are a rare luxury.

But. You were saying that the
security man, Mr. Alafa,

was m*rder*d by someone
he knew and trusted.

Mr. Salah,
I have made a discovery

that you are going to find
emotionally disturbing.

I want you to be
prepared for that.

Well, thank you.
I'm prepared. Go on.

Nobody from the outside came
in and committed this crime.

It was all done
from within.

Why do you say that?

It's an inside job, sir.

Yes, Lieutenant.
I heard you the first time,

but on what do you base
that conclusion?

Whoever did this knew the combination.
That's not a student, sir.

Now, what do you mean,
"knew the combination"?

On what do you base
that conclusion?

Now, how can you say that?
Answer with facts, sir!

The plaster powder
from the ceiling, sir.

The expl*si*n caused
plaster powder

to come raining down
from the ceiling.

Small little
particles of dust.

And some of them fell on top
of the ashes of the documents

that had been removed
from the safe.

So, obviously, sir, the
documents had to be removed

and b*rned prior
to the expl*si*n,

otherwise, there wouldn't have
been any powder on top of them.

Excellent observation.

So, the safe was opened by someone
who knew the combination,

and you're suggesting

that it was someone
who works for the Legation.

That is very disturbing.

But, nevertheless,
facts are facts.

How can I help you,
Lieutenant?

If I could look at
the personnel files, sir.

Of course. In my office.

This is a complete list of all
personnel assigned to the Legation.

You may question
whomever you choose.

Actually, sir,
I took the liberty earlier

of finding out
who's here and who isn't.

I can account for everybody
at the time of the m*rder

except for this fellow.
How do you pronounce his name?

Rahman Habib.
He's a code clerk, Lieutenant.

He's a very good man.

When did he go on vacation?

Well, yesterday, I believe.
He's visiting New York City.

Would you know
where he's staying?

Yes, the Kimberly Park Hotel.
I'll check the memo.

Would this Rahman Habib
have access to the safe?

No. Only Youseff Alafa and
myself knew the combination.

But he could have
picked up the combination.

Maybe watched somebody
open the safe.

And so could have a dozen other
Legation employees, Lieutenant.

But none of the others
left on vacation, sir.

Rahman Habib has been a trusted
employee of this Legation

for almost years. I cannot believe he would...
he could be involved in such crimes.

This picture is not gonna
help the situation, sir.

What do you mean?

Several of the picketers
outside the Legation

saw the man who crashed
through the gate.

Their description could
match this photo of Habib.

Place a call
to New York immediately.

The Kimberly Park Hotel.

I can appreciate
your feelings, sir.

The fact is, he doesn't look
like much of a m*rder*r.

You know, after years in this business,
I can still look at a person sometimes

and say to myself,
"He can't be the m*rder*r."

And are you often right?

Oh, % or so, if that.

Not too many times.

Yes? Thank you.

Kimberly Park Hotel?

This is Lieutenant Columbo of the
Los Angeles Police Department.

I'm checking on the whereabouts
of a Rahman Habib.

What?

I see. Thank you.

He made the reservation,
all right.

But he never checked in.

Yes?

Habib?
Are you all right?

You were supposed to
call me last night.

It was impossible.
The police have been everywhere.

The newspapers mentioned
some missing money.

Sir, there was no money,
as you well know.

Rahman, do not concern yourself
with American newspaper reporters.

The plan
is working perfectly.

Arrangements have been made
for the flight.

I shall meet you in one hour.

The rendezvous we agreed on?

Yes, yes, yes.

Remember, Habib,
one hour.

Hassan Salah speaking.

I shall be retiring
to my quarters now.

Please see to it
that I am not disturbed.

Thank you.

Salah!

Calmly, calmly,
my dear friend.

Now, panic can only bring on
fear and defeat in this life.

Did you bring the papers?
Yes.

Good.

Here is your new passport.

Your ticket to Bern.

And...

$ , .

$ , ?

A job well done should not
be casually rewarded, hmm?

I don't know what to say, I...

You know, sir, all these years.
Working as a code clerk,

I never dreamed I'd be involved
in matters of such significance.

Let me assure you,
Habib, within days

your name will be shouted
loud in the streets of Suari.

It is a promise.

Now, come. Come, come.

Good morning, Doctor.
Good morning.

Is that him?
Is that who?

Habib.

I don't know.
I just got here myself.

Amir Faisan.

His name was Habib.
He was carrying a phony passport.

Where are
his personal effects?

Well, that's his stuff
over there.

Time of death?

Let's see. Eddie did a
preliminary work up on this guy

before he had to leave.

Oh, yeah. Time of death,
between : and : .

Is that the best you can do?

Give me an eyewitness
and I'll do better.

What is that, Doc,
bits of broken glass there?

Bits of broken glass.
Let's see what I've got here.

Gee, that doesn't look
like broken glass to me.

Valuable?

It's won'th a great deal
of money, Lieutenant.

Speaking of money, sir,
we're holding the $ ,

down at headquarters
for a few days.

In the meantime, I thought you
might as well have these back.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

You did not inspect the
contents of this envelope?

No, sir.

Ah.

It is well.

I can tell you, Lieutenant, in the
strictest confidence, of course,

this envelope contains
certain material,

which, in the wrong hands,

could lead to the overthrow
of my king.

Wow!

Yes. Your suspicions were all
too accurate, Lieutenant.

Rahman Habib
was not only a thief,

but a traitor as well.

Well, the problem now is locating
the balance of the $ , .

Well, that's not
the only question, sir.

There's something else that
I've been wondering about.

Perhaps we'd better speak
in my office, Lieutenant.

Yes, sir.

You were saying,
Lieutenant?

I was about to mention
the $ , .

What of it?

Well, I have to verify,
sir, whether this money

actually came from
the safe in the Legation.

I see.

I see. You think perhaps Rahman saved
it up on a code clerk's salary?

Now really, Lieutenant.

Well, sir, the bills were not new
and they were not sequential.

Lieutenant Columbo, there is a
very simple method of determining

the origins of the $ ,
on Habib's body.

If the money were intact,
it would have, excuse me,

a wrapper similar
to this one.

Similarly, the stamp on the
wrapper would also be the same,

since all our banking is handled
by one bank, International Trust.

Come to think of it, sir, there was
a piece of paper just like this

wrapped around the $ , .

That's a good suggestion.
I should have thought of it myself.

Do you think, sir,
I could have this wrapper

to compare
with the other one?

Will there be anything
else, Lieutenant?

I don't want to take up
any more of your time, sir.

There is something else, but I don't know
where all that leads to just yet, so...

I'll just wander around.
Thank you very, very much, sir.

Lieutenant Columbo.

Please, do not feel
that you're imposing.

I am a busy man, it's true, but as
First Secretary of the Legation,

I feel I have
a certain responsibility.

Well, actually, sir,
it was the glasses.

The glasses?

Yes, sir,
Mr. Habib's eyeglasses.

He was wearing these
when the police found him.

Well, that's hardly
a revelation, Lieutenant.

Habib was virtually
helpless without them.

But as it turns out, sir,
he was also wearing these.

What are they?

Contact lenses.

And the fellows at the lab
tell me that anybody wearing

both these prescriptions at the
same time would be blind as a bat.

I was not aware that
Rahman wore contact lenses.

Oh, I didn't think
you were, sir.

This was found
in his wallet.

An optometrist's
business card.

The prescription for the contact
lenses was written on the back.

He'd only been
wearing them a week.

His regular glasses he kept
in his pocket as a backup,

until he got used
to the contact lenses.

I see.

Then you suspect...

m*rder.

That's right, sir.

Somebody had to place
these glasses on Habib's body.

That's incredible.

Well, obviously, he was k*lled by
the same revolutionary students

who put him up to robbing the
safe and murdering Youseff Alafa.

That same thought
occurred to me, sir,

but I couldn't figure out
why they would do it.

Self-preservation,
I would imagine.

Once Habib was apprehended,

he could identify those
who conspired with him.

You may have
something there, sir.

I have to ask
some questions here and there,

but I don't want to take up any more of your time.
I'll just wander around.

You've been very helpful.

Don't mention it, Lieutenant.

The passport
and the other documents

were taken from this cabinet,
Lieutenant.

Except that everybody
had access to it.

So, Rahman Habib
could have taken the passport.

I thought there was
no question of that.

Well, that's the way
it looks right now, Mr. Kura.

By the way, now that you're
the acting Security Chief,

I guess you keep the records of the
comings and goings of Legation personnel.

Where was Mr. Salah last night
between : and : ?

Mr. Salah? Oh, it's all right.
It's just a technicality.

A technical verification
for the department.

Well, let me take a look.

Mr. Salah was in his quarters
last evening.

Never left the Legation?

No, sir.

Thank you very much.
You've been very helpful.

That's all right.
I'll be able to find my own way.

I think.

Down with Hassan.
Where's your sign?

Hmm? Oh, I don't have one.

Here, hold this.

You new?

Oh, I never did this
before in my life.

Well, we're glad
to have you.

We can use
all the help we can get.

You picket a lot?

Every day after classes.

Then you must've
been here the other day

when all the
action happened.

Oh, you mean the car
crashing through the gate?

You saw it?
See it?

I almost
went along for the ride.

Crazy person.
Drove right at me.

You didn't happen to be picketing
here last night, were you?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah?
Mmm-hmm.

Listen, you didn't notice

a car come
through the gate here

between like, : or : ?

No way.
It was dead here.

Nobody in, nobody out.
Nothing.

Why the big interest?

I'm fuzz.

That's cool.

Hey! Hey! Hey! My sign!

Down with Hassan.

General Colonel
Anurov of Russia...

Salaam Alaikum.
The Russian delegation, Your Majesty.

How do you do, sir?
I hope to meet you on Russian soil.

How do you do?
Salaam Alaikum.

Of Ghana, the Minister of Ghana,
Your Majesty. How do you do?

Ambassador of India.
Salaam Alaikum.

The Ambassador of India,
Your Majesty.

Ah, yes, how are you, sir?

My sympathy to your wife.

Monsieur.

The attaché from France.

Excuse me.

Lieutenant.
Lieutenant, please.

Now, you have chosen a rather awkward
moment to visit, Lieutenant.

Yes, sir, I realize that, but it was
very important that I talk to you.

Say, I was wondering if it wasrt...
be too much trouble,

could I meet the King?

This is His Majesty,
Lieutenant.

I realize that this
is not protocol, sir, but...

I would like to extend my
personal welcome to the city.

Your Majesty, may I present

Lieutenant Columbo of the Los
Angeles Police Department.

Lieutenant, this is His Majesty,
King Ahmed Kamal of Suari.

How nice to meet you, Lieutenant.
And very gracious of you to come.

Well, actually, sir,
I'm on duty.

Are you in charge of security
arrangements, Lieutenant?

I know
I'm something of a bother.

No. You're no bother at all, sir.
I don't get to meet too many kings in my job.

Actually, sir,
I'm with Homicide.

Homicide. That is exciting.

The real thing.

Not what we see on your
American TV shows, huh?

This m*rder of Youseff Alafa,
Lieutenant, was very tragic.

I knew the man very well.

Sir, in that regard, I realize
you're a very busy man...

Excellency, the ministers are awaiting
your presence in the reception room.

If I may be of service to the lieutenant...
Yes, of course.

Lieutenant,

please call on me if I may be
of any service to you.

Oh, thank you very much.

You will wait in the
sitting room, Lieutenant.

A thousand pardons, Your Majesty, but the
man is a simple man, the Lieutenant,

and he is not
used to our ways.

Yeah,
but I like him, Hassan.

You say, "our ways,"
but you mean your ways.

The ways of your father
and his father before him.

There is a place
for tradition, Hassan.

But we must learn to live
in this world as neighbors.

We cannot be blind to the changes
happening all around us.

I understand, Your Majesty.

Lieutenant Columbo.

Lieutenant. Hello.

Hello. We meet again.

I've been looking for you.

His Majesty thought you might like
something while you're waiting.

Oh.

His Majesty himself?
Yes.

Well, that's very thoughtful
for a busy man. Imagine that.

Gee whiz.

You're sure it was
His Majesty, not just an aide?

Yes.

Oh.

Oh, it's very good.

Is this a Suarian delicacy?

No. I'm afraid not.

It's from the bakery
around the corner.

Well, wherever it's from,
it's very good.

I'm gonna have
to be frank with you.

I'm starved. I forgot to eat.

Well, if you're hungry,
we have to feed you.

Come.

Rahman often
did that, too.

He did what, madam?

He forgot to eat.

Oh, you worked with him?

Yes. In the code room.

The code room?
Oh, maybe you can help me.

On Wednesday,

before he escaped
from the Legation...

I understand that he worked
in the code room.

That was the rd?

Wednesday.
Wednesday the rd.

Yes, I remember. Wednesday.

We were all there,
five of us,

until well past : .

Do you happen to remember,

did he use the phone
around : ?

Lieutenant, there is no
telephone in the code room.

But I saw Mr. Salah use one.
The yellow one on the wall.

Oh, no, no.

That's the tie line
to the embassy in Washington.

There is no outside telephone
line for security reasons.

We're sort of,
prisoners in there.

Oh, I see.

That smells like beef.
Is that beef?

I don't know.
I think it's beef.

That's beef.

Give it a taste.
Lieutenant...

"You mustrt touch anything.
What are you doing here?"

Lieutenant.

Mr. Salah, I'm sorry.
I'm in the way here.

No. It's quite all right.
Would you like some of this?

It is prepared
expressly for the King.

Oh, I couldn't eat
the King's food.

But you are a guest,
Lieutenant.

And His Majesty
is a gracious host.

Please. Here.
You must try some of this.

Please. I didn't realize that
this was the King's food.

Thank you very much.

Delicious.
Thank you.

I guess I forgot
how hungry I was.

It's a pleasure.

By the way,
I checked out the wrapper.

You know, the one that was

wrapped around the $ ,
that we found on Mr. Habib?

Yes, I remember, Lieutenant.

Wouldrt you be
more comfortable sitting down?

Lieutenant,
would you excuse me, please?

Thank you very much.

Anyway, it turns out that

Mr. Habib's $ ,

didn't come
from your safe after all.

Now, you must be
mistaken, Lieutenant.

Where would a minor clerk
like Rahman Habib get $ , ,

unless it was
from the robbery?

Well, I couldn't
figure that out, either.

But there is no mistaking
about the money

that this wrapper
was holding together.

You can see by the mark.

This is delicious.
Best I've ever tasted.

Of course, the fact is, I've never
tasted Suarian food before.

Oh, you still have not.

His Majesty
prefers French cuisine.

Those are petits escargots.

Escargots?
Yes.

Snails.

But you mentioned a mark?

Yes, sir.

You see, this is
a bank teller's mark.

Now, the thing
about this, sir, is that

the teller that handled
this particular transaction,

he was working in another branch
until the day after the robbery.

Do you follow my meaning?

In other words,

how could this money
be in the safe,

if it wasrt even handed out from the bank
until the day following the robbery?

Haricots verts
bordelaise.

That looks like green beans.
In a special sauce.

Oh, thank you.

You know what I think, sir?

I think Mr. Habib
was an innocent victim.

I really think that somebody

planted that $ , on him

to make him look guilty,
and then k*lled him.

Now, that's quite a jump,
Lieutenant.

For example, how do you
explain the fact that Habib

made a hotel reservation
in New York,

which he obviously
never intended to keep?

Oh, Mr. Habib
never made that reservation.

But the reservation was made.

We telephoned New York.

Yes, sir. But Mr.
Habib couldn't have made that reservation.

Here, take a look
at this telex.

This is a telex.

: , Wednesday the rd.

That was when
the reservation was made.

On : of that day, Mr.
Habib was locked in the code room.

I checked on that. So Mr.
Habib could not have made this reservation.

I see.

Do you have any idea who
this other person could be?

No. Not really.

But I did find out something very
interesting when I went to the bank.

What was that?

That teller remembered

that a great deal
of money was withdrawn

from the Suarian account
on that day.

By me, Lieutenant.

Yes, sir.

Would you mind
coming into my office?

Not at all.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I assume this is the money you're
talking about, Lieutenant.

If you'll notice, there is
a withdrawal slip attached.

And if you care to check further,
you will see that this money,

intact to the
very last dollar,

has been designated to cover the
King's expenses during his visit.

Now, if you're quite finished
with your insinuations,

I must attend the King.

Sir, I was not making any
personal insinuations. I'm...

All I'm saying is that
somebody here at the Legation

robbed the safe, k*lled Mr.
Alafa, and tried to pin it on Mr. Habib.

What I would
really like now, sir,

is to be able to speak to some of
the other people at the Legation.

Because with Mr. Habib
out of the running,

I feel I have a big job
in front of me.

At the moment, Lieutenant, I,
too, have a big job facing me.

I see what you mean, sir. Yes.

You are quite right.

This would be a very bad time
to upset everybody,

what with the King
receiving all those diplomats.

Why don't I come back
another time?

Now, that is most tactful
of you, Lieutenant.

You wanna see me?
Come in. Come in, Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Columbo, Mr.
Kermit Morgan of the State Department.

How do you do?
Lieutenant.

Mr. Morgan is with the
Protocol Department, Columbo.

There's been a complaint lodged
against you by the Saurian Legation.

A complaint of police harassment
by First Secretary Hassan Salah.

The feeling expressed to me is that you've
been indulging in a personal vendetta.

Well, there's no
vendetta involved here.

Just trying to catch a man who
m*rder*d two Suarian nationals

along with robbing
the Legation of $ , .

Yes, I'm sure,
but you're working in delicate

and apparently
unfamiliar waters, Lieutenant.

You can't push around
diplomatic personnel

the way you would common
criminals in the street.

Now, Mr. Morgan...
It is in the best interest of our government

if there are
no further contacts

between yourself
and Secretary Salah.

Well, that's all very well and
good, except for one thing.

What is that, Lieutenant?

He's the m*rder*r.

You have definite
proof as to his guilt?

Well, not exactly.

Well, I know
one thing, Columbo.

You don't have a thing on
Salah for that first m*rder.

I mean, he was right here in the
Commissioner's office when it happened.

You and I, we were both
witnesses to that fact.

That's true, sir.

Then it's the second m*rder
you're talking about.

Yes.

And no. I mean...

Look, it is true that according to
the records at the Suarian Legation,

Mr. Salah was in his
private headquarters

at the time that
Rahman Habib got k*lled.

In other words,
Hassan Salah

has ironclad alibis
for both murders.

I know it looks that way...
Let me tell you something, Lieutenant.

Now, it may go against your
grain, but it's reality

right from the
State Department,

and we don't care if Salah
is guilty or innocent.

We do care about our
country's relations.

Now, under the circumstances,
let me suggest that...

Let me strongly suggest

that a letter of apology be
drafted by Lieutenant Columbo

and sent with all due speed
to the Suarian Legation.

Even if he's guilty?

Lieutenant, please understand.

We do not condone m*rder.

But we're in the midst of difficult
negotiations with the Kingdom of Suari.

Your speculative investigation
could undo months

of delicate negotiating.
You understand?

Yes, sir.
We all have our job to do.

So I'm gonna
write that letter.

And not only that,

I am gonna personally deliver
this personal apology

on behalf of myself

and the department.

That's excellent.

I like a man who espouses the
pragmatic view, Lieutenant.

Thank you, Captain.
Yes, sir.

What'd he say?

Don't make waves.

What does it mean?
What's what mean?

What they're saying.

It means,
"Long live the King."

I thought
they were against the King.

Against the King?
No, no.

The King's young.
He's progressive.

But he's new
to the throne, see?

He doesn't realize
how reactionary and tyrannical

some of his
government ministers are.

But he will.
Because we'll get through to him.

Oh, so they're for the King?

Yeah, for the King!

Say, that's a beautiful car.

That's fit for a king.

Is this the King's motorcar?

No?
Must be Mr. Salah's car.

No.

Which one is his car?

None of them.
His car in garage for repair.

I see.

What garage
did you say that was?

The City Garage.
Two block down.

They do all our repair work.

That's a honey.

Sir.

May I see
your invitation?

Actually, I don't have any.

Police, LAPD. Police.

Lieutenant, good evening.

Oh, Mr. Kura, do you think you
could talk to this gentleman

about letting me in?

Nothing personal, Lieutenant, but I
presume you're properly attired?

Oh, I think so. Yeah.
I think this is good.

My wife said something
about striped pants,

but I thought that was
too much. This is good.

It's a little big.

It's my brother-in-law's.
He's a waiter, but...

I don't see anybody else
in striped pants.

Xenia,

would you kindly escort the
lieutenant to the gathering, please?

Yes, I'd be delighted.
Shall we, Lieutenant?

Would you take off your coat?

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

So far I didn't see
one pair of striped pants.

I beg your pardon?

No, it's nothing.

I think that's in England.
She must've seen it in the movies.

Who?

My wife. She insisted
I wear striped pants.

It's a good thing I didn't.
I'd be the only one here.

Where's the King?

Oh, he's here.

You know what looks good?
Those robes.

You think they look good?
I mean, for a man?

Oh, yes, I do.
Dignity.

What do they cost?

I'm afraid I don't know.

How come the King
doesn't wear one?

It's not because he can't afford it.
I know that.

You seem to be
interested in clothes.

Shoes.

These are new. $ . .

Something to drink?
Lieutenant?

Thank you.

Good afternoon.
How nice to see you.

Good afternoon.
Nice to see you.

Lieutenant,

may I present Ambassador and Mrs.
Mau Ling,

the People's Republic
of China.

How do you do?
How do you do?

Would you excuse me, please?

I'm afraid I have something to attend to.
Of course.

Lieutenant.

This is a marvelous party.

Tell me, sir, is there something
funny about this champagne?

As champagne,
the taste is very odd.

Indeed.

This is not champagne,
young man.

This is fruit punch.

The Suarian people do not
drink alcoholic beverage.

What a pity.

This is a magnificent
job of decorating.

Mmm-hmm.
Look at that.

Yes.

Third century.

Indeed.

Extraordinary.

Beautiful.

Hey, hey.

It's quite all right here.

Long live the King!

Lieutenant Columbo.
How delightful to see you again.

And how gracious
of you to come.

Thank you very much.

You're not expecting
a m*rder, I hope.

Not today, knock on wood.

Salah, I commend you
on your choice of guests.

Your servant.

Your Majesty!
Pardon me.

Ambassador, how are you?

Just fine, sir.
How are you?

Good to see you.
Good to see you.

Your presence here
is a diplomatic affront.

If you do not leave the
Legation in five minutes,

I shall see that you are removed from
the Los Angeles Police Department.

I've solved the m*rder, sir.
What?

I think we should
talk about it right away.

All right.

Follow me.

A cigar, sir?

No, thank you.

You were saying something about having
solved the murders, Lieutenant?

I have a note.

"The safe was opened
prior to its being blown.

"Mr. Salah
knew the combination."

"The guard's r*fle jammed, Mr.
Salah had the access to the gunroom."

Yes.

I want you to know
that I know

that you couldn't have
k*lled both those men

and robbed the safe
all by yourself.

What do you mean,
all by myself?

What I mean, sir, is that you
planned and ex*cuted the robbery

with somebody else's help.
Rahman Habib.

That is ridiculous.

No, it isn't.

Not only did you rob the safe,

but you k*lled Youseff Alafa
and Rahman Habib.

That is a ludicrous
accusation, Lieutenant.

You seem to have forgotten

that I was in the Commissioner's
office, with you,

at the time Alafa was k*lled.

Mr. Alafa was dead
before you left the Legation.

He was k*lled before you got to
the Police Commissioner's office.

That is impossible,
Lieutenant.

I spoke to him
on the telephone at : .

You were there. He called me
at the Commissioner's office.

No, he didn't.

Prior to the safe's being blown,
which occurred at : ,

we know that somebody
in the executive office

opened the safe
and was taking out money

and running around the place
burning up documents.

Now, how could a security man
call you on the telephone

and calmly report to you at the same
time that the safe was being looted?

It's really very simple,
Lieutenant.

Mr. Alafa was not in the executive
office where the safe was.

He telephoned me
from his office.

How do you know?

He told me on the telephone.

I think you're lying.

You're entitled
to your opinion.

I don't believe he called you from his
office because of the coffee cup.

A cup of coffee?

It was still on the desk,

filled with cold coffee.

I fail to see the point.

He brought the coffee into his
office at : and never drank it.

Why?

Because he was called away
and he never came back.

That filled cup of cold coffee
tells me

that he could not have been in his office
at the time of the telephone call.

I'll tell you
what happened.

Please do.

At : , you called him
into the executive office

and you m*rder*d him.

He was dead
before you left the Legation.

At : , you staged this phony telephone
conversation with this Habib guy

and that provided
you with an alibi.

You're a zealous man,
Lieutenant.

But you seem to be ignoring
the reality of the situation.

You haven't a single shred
of evidence against me.

At : tomorrow morning,

our King Ahmed Kamal leaves
for our capital in Suari.

The moment that he leaves,
Lieutenant,

I shall initiate a formal
protest to your government

regarding this insulting
and groundless accusation.

Lieutenant Columbo is in
violation of Suarian territory.

Oh, sir, just one thing
I forgot. One more thing, sir.

What is it?

My official apology.

Safe journey, Your Majesty.
May Allah protect you.

You were a most
gracious host, Hassan.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

There is something of the
father in the son, eh, Hassan?

There is something of the
father in many of us, Hajj.

But the throne
makes the man.

Not the blood.

You are persistent,
Lieutenant.

They won't let me in, sir.

They say I'm a person not...

Persona non grata.
You are not welcome.

At my orders.

Yes, sir, about that.
I got to thinking about what you said

about lodging a protest
to my government about me.

You see, sir,
I was only doing my job.

If you could give me
three minutes,

I would like to apologize.

You see, sir,
I could get fired.

You may pass.

Thank you, sir.
I appreciate that.

I must say, sir,
this is very nice of you.

Nonsense.

But you were saying you're apprehensive
about your employment, is that it?

I beg you not to send a letter
to the State Department.

I apologize, but more than
anything else, sir,

I wanna shake your hand.
You're the best.

To what do I owe
this tribute?

You b*at me. That's it.

I got b*at, plain and simple.

True.

I know you did it, but...

Well, you can't
win them all, sir.

You're very gracious,
Lieutenant.

Thank you.

But let's face it, you never
did have much of a case.

No. Mostly it was
circumstantial, I agree.

Even the car being moved.

Moved?

Listen, I don't wanna get
into the whole thing

because even if I could prove
it, I couldn't touch you.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

It's because of
the diplomatic immunity.

It... You could,
but it would be difficult.

Wort you have
some tea, please?

About the letter
to the State Department, sir.

Oh, triviality.

Consider it forgotten.

But, please,

you were talking
about the car.

Yes, sir. You have
the Legation staff cars

serviced at a gasoline station
three blocks from here.

I checked on that.

The mechanic noticed that the
car was moved the other night.

That's how you were able
to get to Canyon Road

to meet Habib
and k*ll him.

Did I?

I confirmed that this morning.

They changed the oil
late in the day

and the mileage was noted.

But the next morning there
were additional miles.

Amazing.

So, I drove my own car
from the gasoline station

to the point that Habib had been k*lled
and back to the gasoline station.

It measured miles.

Lieutenant,

my compliments.

Your persistence is simply
not to be believed.

Picking and scratching until you
have finally uncovered the mosaic.

Cheers.

It wasrt easy.
I gotta hand you that.

One thing I don't understand, sir.
Why did you do it?

Well,

the struggle for power
within my country

is none of your concern,
Lieutenant.

Your business... is m*rder.

And as you said,

this is one m*rder that must
remain one of your failures.

But, do not despair,
Lieutenant.

Do not despair.

You have unraveled the puzzle.

Accept it, and let it be.

I got the feeling that you
wouldn't be so expansive,

you wouldn't be so quick
to admit all this,

if you didn't have
diplomatic immunity.

Perhaps so, Lieutenant, but the fact
is, I do have diplomatic immunity.

Quite so, Hassan Salah.

Yes, Hassan.

You saw
the aircraft depart, huh?

But it departed without me,

at the suggestion of my
friend, Lieutenant Columbo.

A helicopter brought me
back here ahead of you.

By tomorrow, Salah,
you will be in Suari

and subject
to Suarian justice.

You wanted to arrest me
earlier, Lieutenant.

I hereby renounce
my diplomatic immunity.

I submit to your arrest.

Well, I would like to, but...

it's like you said to the fellow
from the State Department, sir.

This is an international thing.
I don't wanna make waves.

Maybe justice would be
better served back in Suari.

Thank you very much, sir.
Nice meeting you.

Likewise, Lieutenant.

This is not justice.
This is barbarism. Lieutenant!

I beg you.

The trouble, sir, is that you're right.
That it's...

All the evidence
is circumstantial.

It's just bits and pieces.

I don't think any of it
is gonna stand up in court.

A confession!

If I signed a confession.

Well, I'm not sure.

Your Majesty?

I shall abide
by your decision, Lieutenant.

Well, in that case,

just sign by the red "X", sir.

Three copies,
if you don't mind.

You wanna read it?

I'm sure I know what it says,
Lieutenant.

I am your prisoner.

Officer!

Hassan,
a word of warning.

Should you decide to
repudiate your confession,

we shall be waiting
to welcome you home.